Definition of Accused. Meaning of Accused. Synonyms of Accused

Here you will find one or more explanations in English for the word Accused. Also in the bottom left of the page several parts of wikipedia pages related to the word Accused and, of course, Accused synonyms and on the right images related to the word Accused.

Definition of Accused

AccusedAccused Ac*cused", a.
Charged with offense; as, an accused person.
Note: Commonly used substantively; as, the accused, one
charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal
case.

AccusedAccuse Ac*cuse", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accused; p. pr. & vb.
n. Accusing.] [OF. acuser, F. accuser, L. accusare, to call
to account, accuse; ad + causa cause, lawsuit. Cf. Cause.]
1. To charge with, or declare to have committed, a crime or
offense; (Law) to charge with an offense, judicially or by
a public process; -- with of; as, to accuse one of a high
crime or misdemeanor.
Neither can they prove the things whereof they now
accuse me. --Acts xxiv.
13.
We are accused of having persuaded Austria and
Sardinia to lay down their arms. --Macaulay.
2. To charge with a fault; to blame; to censure.
Their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else
excusing one another. --Rom. ii. 15.
3. To betray; to show. [L.] --Sir P.
Sidney.
Syn: To charge; blame; censure; reproach; criminate; indict;
impeach; arraign.
Usage: To Accuse, Charge, Impeach, Arraign. These
words agree in bringing home to a person the
imputation of wrongdoing. To accuse is a somewhat
formal act, and is applied usually (though not
exclusively) to crimes; as, to accuse of treason.
Charge is the most generic. It may refer to a crime, a
dereliction of duty, a fault, etc.; more commonly it
refers to moral delinquencies; as, to charge with
dishonesty or falsehood. To arraign is to bring (a
person) before a tribunal for trial; as, to arraign
one before a court or at the bar public opinion. To
impeach is officially to charge with misbehavior in
office; as, to impeach a minister of high crimes. Both
impeach and arraign convey the idea of peculiar
dignity or impressiveness.